Ashwin Karthik, our beloved columnist who authors Monday Truclusions, is known to offer us with weekly doses of inspiration and stories. But we thought we should give you a deeper peek into his very inspiring life story that he is so very humble about. Ashwin is the first computer engineer in India with cerebral palsy. The journey of achieving this has not been a cake walk for him, and was well narrated by his best friend, Bharath Sharma, when we interviewed him on Friendship Day!
Blast From The Past
Ashwin Karthik hails from a family where both his parents were bankers, ex-employees of Canara Bank. He has an elder brother, who is also an engineer and works in a software firm. A computer science engineering graduate by qualification from AIT Chikmagalur, Ashwin says –
“There are three pillars of my life- my mum, my brother- Naveen, and my best friend Bharath. If not for their support I wouldn’t have become what I am today. Specially after my father’s demise, it was my mother who shouldered the responsibility of being the single bread winner for the family. I made up my mind then that I wanted do something worth their efforts.”
Even after becoming an Engineering graduate, Ashwin went through a struggle to find a job for two years. The companies did not believe that he could deliver to their expectation because of his physical disability.
“I finally was able to get a breakthrough at Mphasis. My work was appreciated at every stage, to an extent that I was recognised by the honourable president of India in 2013, which was my highest peak.”
The Nitty-Gritties Of An Engineering Job
When asked why he chose to pursue Engineering in Computer Science, Ashwin says –
“Computers have been my passion from childhood. I grew up watching my uncles working on computers. I too wanted to learn more about these wonderful machines. In my adolescent years I realised that computers were the only thing I could work on because of my disability. So may be it was blessing in disguise. Life was presenting me with an opportunity of achieving something that no one had done before. To be honest with you, I didn’t know I was going to be the first engineer, but when I achieved it, it was a very proud moment.”
Ashwin credits his current professional success to the Engineering degree. He says, “My degree in engineering has made me learn the attitude of asking the right questions. I have learnt to think out of the box. I do not accept anything without the right reason. Engineering has also given me the thought process of always being on the learning curve. I also took up various courses like software testing and automation tools to up-skill myself.”
Currently, Ashwin Karthik works in his organisation as a Solution Architect. He shares,
“The objective of my team is to automate the routine mundane manual tasks done by the human resources so that the human intelligence can be utilised in carrying out activities that are much more effective and complex. Basically our team provides people with opportunities to redefine their careers. My role as a solution architect is to bridge the gap between the business teams and the developers by designing the most effective solution for a particular problem.”
Qualities That Make A Great Engineer
When we asked Ashwin, what according to him are the qualities a good engineer should strive to have, he opined –
“A good engineer should always be curious, and open to learning and experimenting with new ideas. He should be brave enough to experiment, fail and learn from his mistakes but never giveup. He should also look to resolve the problems around him with simple and easy-to-implement solutions rather than trying to build complex solutions.”
He continues, “An engineering job is exciting because each project is a challenge because they come with different requirements. It allows you to be part of an ever-changing world with access to the advancements in technology. Sometimes you face demanding clients who expect deliverables at a very fast pace and of the highest quality, which is very challenging. We need to not only keep pace with the expectation but try and stay ahead of it. I see opportunities in every such challenge!”
Ashwin Karthik fondly shares that his professional journey has been the most wonderful experience, like a roller-coaster, full of ups and downs, success and failures. But he adds that it has been an enriching one and full of learning. He says, “Each day I have become a better individual. These experiences have given me the confidence of overcoming any situation in life successfully.”
Takeaway – Habits That Help
“The two traits that have helped me sail through and survive every situation is the ‘Never-say-die’ attitude and the ability to smile through tough situations. I have always believed that the tough get going when the going gets tough! The only thing I have not learned in life is to quit. I believe each time I fail I am a step closer to excellence, and when I excel, automatically I shall succeed. I believe failures teach you much more than success does. The only thing that one needs to do is hang in and someday we will reach our destination. We should remember that every success is just a milestone and not the final destination.”
One motto I suggest all of us must have is to turn every stone thrown at us into milestones!
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